Crockpot Curried Cauliflower: A Recipe

I don’t usually post recipes, but I think I’m going to start. I created this recipe a few months ago and have been “fine tuning” it, taking out some spices (like commercial chili powder) and adding others (cumin, coriander, fresh parsley), adding ingredients (garbanzos), adjusting cooking times, etc. And here you have it, the now final official version of Crockpot Curried Cauliflower.

This is a vegan recipe. Our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter are all vegans (and we presume that their next child on the way in early 2017 will be as well). Our daughter is a vegetarian. My wife and I are heading in that direction; we seldom have any sort of red meat, although we do still eat dairy, eggs, and the occasional bit of chicken or fish. Some years ago, a good friend of our son referred to us as “meat minimalists” and that is probably a pretty good description.

My wife and I have had this as a main course over either white rice or quinoa. We both preferred it with rice, although we acknowledge that quinoa is probably healthier. The preparation pictured here is for a pre-season gathering of our church choir, a potluck dinner which has become a tradition in our parish; the choir and clergy gather some weekday evening before the first Sunday on which they will sing after the summer break. So we are offering it as a vegetable side dish with an entrée of fried chicken and we don’t know what else.

So here it is

Crockpot Curried Cauliflower

Here is most of the equipment you will need; a spoon is also required, but didn’t make it to the photo shoot:

The first step is to make a spice mixture of the following ingredients:

1 cube Knorr veggie bouillion
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground pepper
3 tbs curry powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbs all-purpose flour

Crumble bouillion cube and combine with dry spices and flour; mix well and set aside.

Next, you will make a sauce of coconut cream and garlic:
2-4 cloves garlic, macerated through a press
1 14oz can unsweetened coconut cream
1/2 cup water

Mix thoroughly and set aside.

The rest of the ingredients now begin to make their appearance. For the fresh vegetables, a 1/2″ dice or coarse chop is sufficient.

2 russet potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2-in cubes
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

Line slow cooker (crockpot) with plastic liner bag (these make clean up so much easier). Peel & chop potatoes, place in cooker. Do the same with the onion.

Sprinkle spices-and-flour mixture over potatoes and onion; stir to coat well.

Cut carrots into 1/2-in pieces (about 1-1/2 cups); add to cooker.

Stem one large red bell pepper and one large green bell pepper, remove seeds and membranes, coarsely chop, and add to cooker.

Drain and rinse a 15-oz can of garbanzo beans (chick peas) and add to cooker.

Cut and break into 1/2 of a large head of cauliflower into flowerettes; add to cooker.

Pour reserved coconut-garlic sauce over everything.

Set cooker to “low,” cover, cook for two hours.

After two hours, stir it all up.

Close cooker and cook for three more hours. Chop sufficient flat-leaf parsley to fill about 1/2 cup.

Add chopped parsley and 1 cup of frozen peas to cook.

Stir it all up.

Cover and cook for one more hour. It’s ready.

Serve as a main course with grain of choice (white rice or quinoa both work well) or alone, or serve as a vegetable side to some other entrée.

Here’s the recipe without all the pictures:

Crockpot Curried Cauliflower

1 cube Knorr veggie bouillion
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground pepper
3 tbs curry powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbs all-purpose flour

2-4 cloves garlic, macerated
1 14oz can unsweetened coconut cream
1/2 cup water

2 russet potatoes, peeled, 1/2-in cubes
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 cups carrots cut in 1/2 in pieces
1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 large head of cauliflower cut into flowerettes

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup frozen peas

Crumble bouillion cube and combine with dry spices and flour; mix well and set aside.

Macerate garlic in press, combine with coconut cream and water; mix well and set aside.

Line slow cooker with plastic liner bag.

Peel & chop potatoes, place in cooker. Do the same with the onion. Sprinkle mixed spices & flour over potatoes & onion, stir to coat well.

Add carrots.

Wash peppers, remove seeds & membranes, chop, add to cooker.

Drain and rinse garbanzos, add to cooker.

Wash and chop cauliflower, add to cooker

Pour coconut-garlic mixture over everything.

Cover cooker and set on “Low”. Cook for 2 hours.

Stir, cover, cook another 3 hours or so.

Rinse, dry, chop parsley. Add peas and parsley to cooker, stir, cover and cook for another hour.

Serve alone or with rice as a vegan entree; or serve as a side vegetable dish with another main dish.